Former NY officer Merault Almonor sues NYPD for
racial profiling
June 18, 2011
Last spring, a retired NYPD officer was acquitted of felony assault charges
for allegedly punching a female police officer as he and his wife were
picking up their 13-year-old son. The teen, Devin Almonor, was arrested
after a stop-and-frisk, and his parents argued he was the victim of racial
profiling. Now, the family has filed a lawsuit against the NYPD, and the
teen has spoken out about the incident: "It was surreal. I thought cops
were out here to protect us. But they racially profile. They are prejudiced. I
don't know what to believe anymore."
Devin, now a freshman at All Hallows Catholic school in the Bronx, said he
was on his way home when he was stopped by plainclothes cops on W.
141st Street. Police said he was part of a rowdy group of kids that
prompted six 911 calls, and said he was arrested after he reached toward
his waistband as if he had a gunâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;police later acknowledged he didn't have
any weapons. Despite not being charged with any crime, Devin was
handcuffed and held at the 30th precinct for six hours. Even worse, he
alleges in the lawsuit that police officers teased him for crying, saying he
was crying like a girl.

While he was sitting in a juvenile holding room, Devin's father Merault
Almonor, who retired from the NYPD in 2003, ended up in a fist fight with
officers, while his mother was also arrested. In their lawsuit, which names
six individual cops, they argue that Devin's run-in with cops was just
another example of racially motivated policing under the highly criticized
stop-and-frisk program. Merault Almonor feels betrayed by the whole
experience: "I can't believe my department did this to me. We are a family
of cops...I used to look up to cops. After this, I lost respect for the
department."
BY: Ben Yakas
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Former Merced correctional officer Anthony Sodini
suspected of smuggling drugs for inmates
June 17, 2011
A former correctional officer accused of smuggling cigarettes and
methamphetamine to inmates in John Latorraca Correctional Center was
back in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing.
Anthony Sodini, 27, was arrested Feb. 8 by deputies from the MercedMariposa High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force. The arrest came
from a sting initiated by the HIDTA, according to a sheriff's report.
During a preliminary hearing, a judge typically determines whether there's
enough evidence to proceed to trial.
Judge Donald Proietti established there's reasonable suspicion to go to trial
on the felony charges Sodini's accused of -- attempted smuggling of a
controlled substance into the Latorraca facility and smuggling of cigarettes
into the jail.
Heather Phillips, Sodini's Fresno-based attorney, maintained that Sodini is
"absolutely innocent of these charges," she said outside of the courtroom
after Thursday's hearing.

Sodini is no longer employed by Merced County, according to Deputy Tom
MacKenzie, sheriff's spokesman.
Sgt. Rich Howard, who runs the county's narcotics task force, testified that
his agency set up the sting operation after a confidential source informed
them that Sodini was smuggling the contraband.
One of the informants said Sodini brought tobacco and methamphetamine
into the jail -- and had been using them as payment for an inmate to "take
care of," another inmate who'd assaulted one of Sodini's relatives while out
of custody, according to the sheriff's report.
Sodini let an inmate use his cell phone to order "drops," which Sodini
would pick up from outside the jail and smuggle into the facility, according
to the report.
The informant said the drops would happen "every couple of days," saying
Sodini was "very open with the inmates and willing to bring contraband
into the jail, and he does it right out in the open and in front of the jail,"
according to the report.
The informant also told detectives that a bag of meth, a glass pipe and a
lighter were given to the inmate who was supposed to handle the
retaliation against the man who'd assaulted Sodini's relative, according to
the report. The informant also said inmates at the jail bragged about Sodini
bringing the items into the jail, calling him their "mule."
A package containing cigarettes and a small white packet of salt was
prepared by detectives when the HIDTA initiated the sting operation Feb.
8, according to Thursday's testimony.
When a plainclothes detective placed the package at a drop point they had
learned about from an informant, detectives monitored the area and saw
Sodini walk from the jail, pick up the package, and walk back toward the
jail, according to testimony.

When detectives moved in, Sodini became frightened and tossed the
package over a wall of the facility, according to the sheriff's report.
Howard testified that during an interview, Sodini initially denied everything,
but later said he knew it was wrong, but would sometimes provide
cigarettes to inmates.
During the investigation, Sodini denied knowingly delivering any controlled
substances to inmates, but admitted that he didn't always check the
packages, meaning items such as cell phones and narcotics could have
been inside the packages, Howard testified.
However, Sodini had turned in "drops" before to his supervisors, and
during Phillips' cross-examination of Howard, he conceded that it's possible
that it was Sodini's intent to turn the package over to a supervisor.
An arraignment date for Sodini, who is free on bail, has been set for 10
a.m. June 30 in Courtroom 10 of the Merced County Superior Court.
BY: MIKE NORTH
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Two New Mexico prison guards facing auto theft and
bogus checks charges
June 18, 2011
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Two more prison guards from the Central
New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas are facing charges related to
stolen cars and bogus checks.
The Albuquerque Journal says Javier Del Rivero is charged with attempt to
commit fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud while Dominic Jurado is
charged with fraud.
The two 22-year-old men were arrested Tuesday and released from the
Metropolitan Detention Center after posting $20,000 surety bonds. It's
unclear whether they have lawyers yet.
Their arrests followed a weeks-long investigation by Albuquerque Police
Department detectives and the federal authorities.
Authorities say Del Rivero and Jurado were part of an "insurance fraud
scheme" with a fellow corrections officer who was arrested last month and
charged with receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle and two
counts of forgery.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/2-more-Los-Lunas-prisonguards-are-arrested-1430213.php
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